Schools stock up on fans to sweat out 101 degree first day of school with no air conditioning

A student at Madison Elementary approached her principal, Heather Holter, during recess on the first day of school Tuesday with a pressing question: “Where do we get the Popsicles?”

Temperatures reached 101 degrees on Tuesday, the first day of school in Spokane Public Schools, during a record-breaking heatwave forecast to last through the week. The high temperatures sent some schools scrambling on what was already a hectic day. But the staff at Madison, Balboa and Indian Trail elementaries – school buildings without air conditioning – spent the days ahead collecting fans, window air conditioning units, and, of course, Popsicles to cool off their pupils.

“On the news, we heard that it was going to be probably the warmest summer days that we had when school was starting,” Holter said. “So that’s where administration worked with maintenance, and we all came up with some different ideas.”

Across the district, the heat spurred the cancellation of two high school soccer games, and air conditioning units went out to Rogers High School, Moran Prairie and Holmes elementaries.

Ahead of the first day, Holter ordered extra fans for Madison. Each classroom has three or four; some teachers purchased their own.

Midday Tuesday, a custodian wheeled around a cart stacked with box fans to deliver to classrooms.

Three fans are positioned intentionally around Madison’s entryway to keep the hot air flowing; other fans push air through the hallways. The temperature change is evident when crossing the threshold into one particularly hot classroom. With a fan in each corner and at the teacher’s desk, it’s still 85 degrees in the space.

Down the hall, another teacher has purchased a window air conditioning unit; that classroom lingers around 80.

“Madison is a school that’s been here a long time, and there’s a lot of warmth in our hearts, and right now there’s a lot of warmth in the building,” Holter said.

Holter reminded her students to take it easy in the heat while they’re running around on the blacktop during recess. There’s no grass at Madison, so teachers take their students for a break to sit in the shade in adjacent Franklin Park.

Around 10 kids are gathered around a small misting unit Holter purchased on Monday, a last-minute tool to beat the heat. One student stood too close for so long that the mist soaked his shirt and staff had to give him a dry one.

Some of the school’s portables have functioning air conditioning, and classes take turns rotating through the cool space for temporary reprieve.

Madison is slated to be razed and replaced if Spokane Public Schools’ $200 million bond passes in November. The new building would be air conditioned, much to Holter’s relief, and operated in partnership with the city parks department and Boys and Girls Club as a large “field house” that serves a variety of functions, including a school.

Balboa and Indian Trail could also see HVAC improvements. The district could use the system currently at Adams Elementary School, installing its parts at Balboa and Indian Trail if Adams is replaced.

Though the heat adds an extra challenge to the first day, Holter said her teachers and staff are thoughtful in finding creative ways to cool off their students.

“To me, it’s already been a great day, because again, kids are just so happy to be here. This is their comfort zone. This is where they want to be,” she said as three fans bellowed behind her. “We’ll just keep working until we get what we need for our kids.”